


gotcha day

by loverman



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kissing, Making Out, Post Season 5, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers, but it’s all poorly written lmfao oops
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:28:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25208467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/loverman/pseuds/loverman
Summary: “Gotcha day was never supposed to be about me.”Catra stared down at the girl, who was still deep in thought, fondly letting out another chuckle, “Adora, you’re such an idiot.”Adora pulled herself out of her stupor, airily laughing along again, “What’d I do this time?”“Some things are allowed to be about you.”Again, Catra’s words rang through Adora’s ears loud and clear, on repeat like a mantra.//Glimmer, Bow, and the gang are excited to throw a party for Adora’s gotcha day.But turns out, that’s not really what she needs at the moment.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 187





	gotcha day

**Author's Note:**

> sorry about any typos and stuff lmao i don’t proofread

Adora could not focus.

And believe her, she was trying.

Even just getting out of bed was taking everything out of her (possibly because she had barely gotten three hours of sleep but she decided to ignore that fact). Opening her eyes, staring up at the high ceiling of her bedroom at Bright Moon, she felt as though she wasn’t even really there. As though she was having some kind of obscure out-of-body experience. She sighed; heavy, dry, tired.

Mindlessly fulfilling her regular morning routine, her thoughts drifted, bringing her unsettling memories and screwing with her perception of reality. Memories so vivid she felt as though she was still there. She couldn’t help but relive it all as she silently pulled her hair up into a ponytail.

As she walked through the halls of the castle, she caught Glimmer’s gaze, who was making her way to the dining room for the daily breakfast buffet with Bow and Catra following suite. 

“Morning Adora, wanna join us? We were just about to grab some brea-“ 

“Yeah, I’ll catch up with you later. Thanks.” 

That response caught the queen off guard, stopping her in her tracks, causing her two friends to gently body slam her before stumbling back a step or two. Glimmer instantly turned to face them, resulting in the duo letting out soft gasps at the sudden movement. “What’s up with Adora? She seems…distracted.”

Realization washing over her face, Catra began rubbing at the back of her neck. “Yeah, it’s her gotcha day tomorrow, she gets kinda distant whenever it comes around.”

Questioning looks surrounded her, “What’s a gotcha day?”

“It’s the day the horde took her in…” She ruffled her hair, “Well actually, it’s more specifically the day Shadow Weaver decided to raise her.” 

Bow’s face dropped a little. “So you guys have ‘gotcha days’…” He mocked, “But you don’t have birthdays?!” 

Catra glared right back at him, stuffing her hands into her pockets to hide how hard she had been clenching her fists. “It’s not a horde thing, it was really just between our force. Adora started it as a way to cheer me up when we were kids.” Glimmer urged her to go on and she did, hesitantly at first. “When… Shadow Weaver found me…all alone in that cardboard box, she wasn’t going to keep me at first, but young, idiotic, naïve Adora convinced her to let me stay. I was…I was scared. I mean, I was just a kitten! And suddenly I was away from my family and I was stuck with this creepy old hag and I was scared, so Adora decided to make that first day great for me in any way she could. The very first thing she did when we met was help me out of that box, pull me into a hug, and she said to me, all soft and gentle, “I gotcha.” And ever since then, we’ve celebrated gotcha day every year.” 

“Okay, so,” Bow spoke up as they all continued on their trek to the dining room, “That’s your gotcha day, what’s the story of Adora’s? I mean, she was just a baby when Hordak gave her to Shadow Weaver, right? Does she really remember it?” 

“Yeah and I thought you hated Shadow Weaver…Can’t imagine you celebrating the day she took you in.”

“I guess but she’s still the closest thing I’ve ever had to a mom. I mean, she’s a really shitty parent but…Never mind. My gotcha day isn’t about her, it’s about Adora and me.” She shrugged, “And as for Adora’s gotcha day, she doesn’t really celebrate it. She kinda just…dreads it. Even back when we were cadets in the horde, she never really liked to bring it up. She didn’t even know what day Shadow Weaver took her in…Until this one time, when were a little older, Shadow Weaver was in this long ass meeting with Hordak, and had left one of her journals out in the open. I tried to convince Adora to look through it with me but she refused, saying it was a breach of privacy or whatever. I read it anyway and in one of the first couple pages, Shadow Weaver had made an entry about an orphan baby she found that she knew had incredible power.”

“It was Adora.” Bow whispered, more so to himself, as they all took their seats around the dining room table, plates filled to the brim with all sorts of food from the buffet.

“It was Adora. And since the entry had the date at the start of it, I assumed it was the day she took Adora in. When I told Adora about it, she got really upset…I never really understood why, I guess it makes more sense now.” Catra sighed, pushing a hand through her hair once more, “Anyway, Kyle, Lonnie, and Rogelio ended up finding out their own gotcha day’s some way or another and Adora’s always made a point of preparing something special for us on each of our days.”

Glimmer’s eyes suddenly grew three sizes as she jumped out of her chair in excitement. “That’s it!” 

“You okay there, Sparkles?” Catra raised a brow at her, growing weary at her uncontrollable glee. 

“We have to throw Adora a Gotcha Day party! It’s exactly what she needs to get her out of this funk.” 

“Uh, I’m not so su-“

“That’s brilliant!” Bow suddenly bursted out of his own chair, throwing a fist into the air as he, most likely, began picturing the party in his head. “Adora’s gonna love it!”

“Listen, that’s a cute idea and all but-“

“No buts. We’re throwing a party for Adora. She deserves this after everything she’s been through.” Glimmer’s voice grew strict as she called over the guards, ordering them to find the royal party planner. 

“A party is not what Adora needs right now.” 

“Oh and you think I don’t know what Adora needs? I’m her best friend, y’know.” Glimmer kept her eyes on Catra as the cat sauntered her way over to her side of the table. 

Choosing to ignore her second statement as she approached her, “I’m not saying you don’t know Adora,” Catra smirked, staring down at the pink haired girl, a fire kindling in her, “I’m just saying I know Adora better.” 

“Oh yeah, I’m sure it’s really easy getting to know someone when you’re trying to destroy them!” Glimmer spat back, as a growl erupted out of Catra, her nostrils flaring and eyes twitching. She was about to yell something about how she apologized for that, about how Adora forgave her and how it’s not fair to hold that over her head forever, when Bow suddenly appeared between them, each of his hands on one of their shoulders. 

In the past two or three months that Catra’s been at Bright Moon, she’s bonded a lot more with Adora’s friends (“They’re your friends, too, now”, Adora had corrected her) But that didn’t mean she didn’t tend to rile them up by accident, every once in a while. After all, it was hard for them to just forgive and forget all the pain and damage she’d caused them, and it was hard for her to knock down her walls and allow them to get to know her, the real her, not the her that wants to destroy them, their homes, and everything they stand for. Funnily enough, Catra ended up growing closer and closer to Glimmer, so much so that she’d consider her a close friend at this point. Unfortunately though, they happen to be very much alike, one of their similarities being that they both tend to say things in the heat of the moment, that they end up regretting very soon after. Like now…

“Guys, c’mon, let’s not say things we can’t take back.” He eyed Glimmer with that ridiculously gentle look in his eyes, the one that made Catra want to puke (choosing to ignore it when someone inevitably points out that she tends to give that same look to Adora). His gaze suddenly shifted to Catra and she faltered under it’s intensity. “Now, I understand that the horde was a really, really, really bad place for you two, but this is a great opportunity to turn something negative into a positive! I’m sure Adora would really appreciate a party celebrating her and everything she’s done for us.”

Catra pulled away from Bow’s touch, rolling her eyes as she began to walk off, opting to abandon her late of food entirely, “Whatever, you guys will never get it. Do what you want, see if I care.” 

Bow gulped, yelling back a hurried, “Would you be open to help with the planning?” But to no avail. 

Catra ended up seeing very little of Adora for the remainder of that day, amounting nothing more than a “Hey Catra”, a quick yet semi-affectionate ruffle of her hair, and an “I’ll see you later, okay?” – which was pointless because she did not, in fact, see her later. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Catra was distraught. She understood more than anyone what it felt like to bottle up your emotions, to feel like you were all alone in a time when all you needed was someone to have your back. But she also knew what it was like to try to talk to someone who simply didn’t want to be bothered. She decided that if she truly wanted to help Adora and be there for her in her time of need, she might as well do whatever it takes. So she gave in and marched her way over to the ballroom the next morning, opting to help her new-found friends with whatever the hell they were up to. Besides, she figured that if Adora didn’t want to be seen yesterday, there’s no point in even trying today of all days. 

“Catra! I’m so glad you decided to help out.” Bow grinned at her, choosing to ignore her over dramatic eye roll, “You can help Scorpia with the balloons.” He pointed to over to where Scorpia was blowing up multicoloured balloons, only to accidentally pop them with her pincers, moments later. 

“Darn it!” Scorpia yelled before sighing and picking out another green balloon from the packet. 

“Yeah, I’m gonna pass.”

“Okaaaay, then you can, um…” Bow glanced around the room, eyes landing on a flow of blonde hair, “Help Perfuma arrange the flowers.” 

“Fine, whatever.” And with an aggravated sigh, the feline made her way over to the taller woman. “Hey, so, do you actually need my help or can I leave? Aren’t you some kind of flower princess anyway, I’m sure you can handle this.” 

Perfuma giggled, sprouting a couple of lilies, “Actually I’d appreciate the company.” Suddenly her eyes widened in realization, “Oh! You know Adora better than any of us!” At that, a soft smile did make its way onto Catra’s face, (take that, Glimmer), “Do you know what her favourite flower is?” 

“Carnations. The peachy coloured ones.” 

“Ooh! Those are beautiful.” Perfuma grinned from ear to ear as she sprouted a bouquet of carnations, and another, and another. “Thanks so much Catra.” 

“Yeah, don’t mention it.” Catra shrugged, a sigh escaping from her lips.

“Something bothering you?” Perfuma wondered, using her magic to decorate the pillars around the room with vines, being sure to glance over at, a clearly upset, Catra every other moment or so. 

“No.”

“Catra, remember what we talked about?” Perfuma pestered, causing Catra to cock an eyebrow at her, “About being honest with our feelings?” 

An exaggerated sigh. “Yeah, yeah...” She messed with her hair, “I don’t know…I’m just…worried? About Adora, I mean.” Perfuma stopped what she was doing, turning to face Catra and give her her full, undivided attention. 

With furrowed brows, she asked, “Is something wrong with Adora?” 

“No, it’s just that, today’s the day she got taken by the horde, well today, like, however many years ago…And it’s always bummed her out, I mean…she’d always get kind of distant whenever this day came up, but now that Shadow Weaver’s, y’know, actually gone…I don’t know, I just think it’s hitting her extra hard.” She sighed again, “And…”

“And?” Perfuma rested a hand on one of Catra’s tense shoulders. 

“And I just wanna be there for her.”

“But you don’t really know how to go about doing that?” Catra nodded, “I understand, it’s difficult to feel like you can’t help your friends through their problems…Have you tried talking to her?”

“I don’t think she’s really in the mood for talking.”

“But have you tried?”

“I…I guess not.” Catra’s hand went to rub at the back of her neck but Perfuma caught it and held it between both of her hands.

“The best thing you can do for Adora is show her that you care and that you’re here to listen if she wants to talk.” Perfuma’s smile softened, “You’re not at the fright zone anymore, Catra, you’re allowed to express your feelings here, you and Adora both. I think you two could learn a lot from each other if you were just a little more open with each other.” 

“Is everyone ready!?” Glimmer yelled out, “I hear footsteps! I think she’s coming!”

“Well then maybe you should stop yelling!” Mermista whisper-yelled back, in that always-agitated tone of hers. 

Glimmer simply glared back as she hit the light switch causing everyone to crouch down and hide. 

Adora walked in first, Bow falling closely behind her being that he was the one in charge of leading her into the room. As everyone jumped out, yelling an almost melodic, “Surprise!”, Adora all but fell to her ass, being sure to catch Bow’s shoulder in time to save herself the embarrassment. 

Adora looked so unlike herself. 

“Oh, wow.” She smiled as sweetly as she could, her crappy acting skills not doing her any favours in that moment. “This is…wonderful.” 

“You really like it?” Glimmer asked with a toothy grin, almost bursting with joy. She was far too excited to even notice the horrible performance Adora was putting on. 

“Yeah! Yeah, it’s…it’s great!” If you thought Adora was a bad actress on any regular day, you should see her when she’s going off barely two hours of sleep, an almost completely empty stomach (if not for the power bar Catra made her scarf down that morning) mind drifting to thoughts and memories of the horde, jaw clenched, shoulders tense, eyes drooping with what Catra determined is either tiredness, sadness, or some awful mixture of the two. 

“Hey, listen, so this is all incredible, I really appreciate it,” Her eyes landed on Perfuma and the bouquets surrounding her, “Hey, peach carnations, those are my favourite…” Her gaze faded back to Glimmer and Bow, “But I’m just a little cold in here, um…” She glanced around the room once more, “You know, from Frosta’s ice sculpture and everything, so I’m just gonna go grab my jacket.” She barely even finished talking before she was out of the room, heading back down the hall.

“Ugh. Not that damned jacket.” Mermista groaned before joining Entrapta and Seahawk at the refreshments table. 

Catra paid a quick thanks to Perfuma, who was now nuzzled in Scorpia’s comforting embrace, before heading out, knowing exactly where to find Adora. 

~~~~~~~~~~

“Hey…” Adora mumbled, feeling Catra’s presence behind her, where she sat at the top of the highest tower in Bright Moon. “So you told them about Gotcha Day, huh?”

“Yeah, um…” Catra took her place beside Adora, the same spot she’d been sitting in for the past few months. “Is that okay?”

“I guess.” 

Catra said nothing, simply stared down at her lap, at her legs dangling over the edge, at her hand resting near her thigh, resting near Adora’s hand. A part of her wanted to reach out and grab her hand, to hold it close to her, to press soothing kisses to her knuckles and massage her callouses, a part of her wanted to press her hand to her heart and remind her that she is so unbelievably in love with her. The other part of her didn’t want to overstep at a time when Adora was clearly unlike her usual self. 

After everything that went down with Horde Prime and the heart of Etheria, Catra and Adora found themselves closer than ever but still so far apart… They had admitted their feelings, sure, but neither of them knew exactly where things were heading after that, and while they both really enjoyed the kiss they shared (and to quote Adora, “really, really, really wanted to do it again”) They were unsure about boundaries and that led them to stray further and further apart for a week or two. They had suddenly gone from being so used to one another’s touch to shying away from it and being far too awkward to even hold hands, something they used not even think twice about. Needless to say, Catra was glad they got through that phase of their relationship and were now at a point where they could grab each other and kiss each other and not even give a crap if someone was watching (something their friends certainly did not appreciate after countless alliance meetings had been, ahem, interrupted) Regardless, right now, in this moment, Catra felt that she should keep her distance and give Adora the space she needed for the time being. 

Meanwhile, Adora stared out at the view, at the trees that make up the Whispering Woods, at the people laughing and walking and talking, at the beauty of Etheria, as her mind began wandering. She couldn’t help but think of the years she had spent trapped in the fright zone, all those years she never knew what was truly out here. All the years she spent as a horde cadet, under Shadow Weaver’s guidance. Years spent training, years spent not knowing the truth. All the years she spent not being She-ra. 

Catra doesn’t know how long they were sitting there, in complete silence aside from the overbearing sound of confetti canons going off at the party, but she knows it’s been longer than it takes someone to grab a jacket. 

“Is it bad that…a part of me misses her?”

Catra kept her eyes locked on her hands which were now clasped together in her lap, but she said nothing and Adora continued. “I know she was awful. I…” Her eyes darted to Catra, so briefly that she was simply a blur of lines, before landing back on the view, “I know what she did was unforgivable. Especially what she did to you.” 

“She hurt you, too, don’t try to undermine that.” 

Catra’s comment, though uttered as a hushed whisper, rang in Adora’s ears like an ongoing siren.  
The words caught Adora entirely off guard, she wasn’t gonna lie. She was so used to Catra seeing her as the favourite; so used to seeing herself as better off. It was jarring, to say the least, and Catra’s words stuck with her, causing them to be the first thing she could properly focus on all week. The words replaying in her ears, the thought replaying in her mind, it was almost enough to break her. 

They sat in silence for another moment or two. Catra still wasn’t sure how long it had really been, suddenly too lost in her own thoughts to have any sense of time. 

“I do, too.” 

At that, Adora’s gaze landed on Catra and stayed there.

“I hate her.” Catra picked at her claws, still not daring to look up. “I hate her so much. I hate what she did to us. I hate everything she put us through.” She swallowed hard. “But I miss her.”  
Silence, again. A part of Catra was starting to hate how quiet it was. It made her anxious, made her fidget with her hands, made her- no, forced her to relive her past in her mind. She hated it.  
So she spoke up, eyes now tracing over the trees in the woods, “I know you’ve always hated your Gotcha Day…” Adora, who had looked away from her at some point during the quiet, turned back to her once more, “But I appreciate all that you did for me, Lonnie, Kyle, and Rogelio.” 

“Of course.” Her voice was strained and Catra worried she was going to grow distant again. 

She felt the silence beginning to simmer, deciding to stop it, she spoke up again. “If you wanna talk, you know I’ll listen.” 

“Yeah, Thanks.” Dammit, Adora, talk to me.

Catra didn’t want to push because she didn’t like being pushed herself, however these two word replies were starting to piss her off. She didn’t know what to say next, she just knew she wanted to comfort her girl, or at least get her mind off things, so she said the first thing that came to mind. 

“That tree kinda looks like Swift Wind…”

“Catra, what are you doing here?” 

“I came to comfort you.” 

“By pointing out trees that look like horses?”

“Well, sorry I’m not the best at being tooth-achingly sweet, in case you haven’t noticed, I was raised by really shitty people.” Catra remarked, rolling her eyes.

“So was I.” 

“It’s not a competition.”

“I didn’t say it was.” Adora mumbled, “If anyone is making it a competition, it’s you.” 

“Whatever.” Catra growled, “If I’m bothering you so much, I’ll just leave.” 

She made no effort to get up.

Silence. 

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize.” 

Adora sighed, “I was being a dick.”

Catra let out a short, dry laugh. “Yeah.”

At some point in the next phase of silence, Catra found herself itching closer and closer to Adora until the blonde’s back was resting against her chest, Catra’s arm around Adora’s waist, holding her hand while her thumb traced circles against her skin. The sun began to set and they were still up there, sitting in what had become comfortable silence. 

“Thanks for staying.”

“Of course.” Catra mumbled, pressing a gentle kiss to Adora’s hair. 

~~~~~~~~~

Adora’s not sure when she allowed her eyes to drift shut, but being there with Catra holding her close, keeping her steady, keeping her secure, it made her feel safe. It allowed her to let go of everything that’s been going through her mind this week. For the first time in a while, she felt at peace. 

And then suddenly tears were streaming down her already flushed cheeks and she was hoping with everything in her that Catra wouldn’t notice.

But of course she did. 

“Adora, I really think you should talk about this…” A strand of hair had come undone from her ponytail and Catra had pushed it back for her; her touch was gentle, unlike how it had been just months prior when they were still enemies, facing one another on the battlefield.

“Why?” Her voice came out in quiet, desperate sobs, “Why do we have to talk? Why can’t we just sit here together, in silence, and be happy? I don’t want to think about what happened to us, Catra! I don’t want to think about what happened to me, or you, or Shad-“ She stopped herself. 

She had avoided saying that name for the longest time. 

A beat, and then…

“You can’t just avoid the past, Adora. Believe me, I’ve tried. It doesn’t work.” 

“I’m not avoiding anything.” 

“Yes, you are! And it’s not good for you! It’s not good for any of us. I’ve been bottling things up my entire life. Every time I keep these things in, I lash out at someone. Whether it be you or Lonnie or Scorpia or whoever else is around! I scratched Octavia’s eye out when I was six! I led the destruction of Salinas! Adora, I sent Entrapta to Beast Island! I did some really, really shitty things! That’s my past and I’m done running away from it. I’m not that angry person anymore, Adora! I’ve made peace with those I’ve wronged but I’ve also made peace with myself. And I really don’t want to see you go down your own path of self-destruction, so please, I’m begging you, talk to me.”

They stared at each other, breathless, cheeks stained with the ghosts of tears shed in moments of vulnerability. Adora choked down one last sob, fearing that if she let it out, she’d just end up breaking down all over again. 

Again, “Adora, please, talk to me.”

And then that sob came tumbling out anyway. 

Catra held Adora in her arms as she cried, reckless sobs escaping her in heaves causing her whole body to shake against Catra’s chest. Adora tried her best to get words out, though they were mumbled and wet and overshadowed by the sound of her heart beating straight out of her chest. She had never felt so vulnerable before and she wasn’t sure if she ever wanted to feel this way again. But she felt safe being vulnerable in Catra’s warm embrace, because as scary as it was to be so open with her feelings, to cry so freely in front of another person, she knew Catra would protect her in this, her most fragile, state. She knew she could trust her. 

~~~~~~~~~

Adora eventually found herself, once again, leaning against Catra, their hands intertwined, soft smiles playing across their faces as they both stared out onto the horizon. It was completely dark out now, the stars illuminating the night sky, causing her eyes to shine in that way that Catra was always fond of. The noise from the party had almost entirely subsided by now as all the guests began their trek home a little over 10 minutes ago. She wiped at one more tear that had it found its way down her cheek, “I just can’t believe she’s gone.”

Catra chose not to respond, deciding to wait and see if Adora had anything else she wanted to let go of.

“It just feels so…off” She glanced up at Catra, “And I don’t really know whether I’m supposed to be happy or not. I mean…She made our lives a living hell, yeah, but she was a person…It feels wrong to be glad that she’s not around anymore.”

“Are we sure she’s a person, though? I mean, Rogelio and I still have that bet from years ago about whether she was a troll or a demon…” 

“Catra.”

“Heh, Sorry…”

Adora took a long pause before speaking again. “I don’t know it’s just…She raised me my entire life, she taught me how to tie my boots, she trained me for combat, taught me what to do in every possible scenario, and that doesn’t excuse the torment she put us and the other cadets through, I know that, I’m just…I’m really conflicted and I don’t like it.” 

Catra thought over her words carefully before responding, in fact she was quiet for so long that Adora considered questioning if she was even still listening, but before she could, she already had her answer. “I think that’s okay.”

“Hm?”

“I think it’s okay that you’re conflicted about this. Shit, I don’t really know how to feel about it either. Sometimes feelings just aren’t that simple.” 

“I think you’ve been spending too much time with Perfuma.” A chuckle.

“Yeah, well, she has the really good weed, so-“

“Catra!” All Catra did in response was laugh. 

~~~~~~~~

Adora’s not really sure how Catra ended up straddling her, with her lips on her neck and her hands in her hair, which she had since let down, but hey, she wasn’t complaining…

“I love you…” A kiss. “So much.” Another.

Catra peppered Adora’s face in featherlight kisses, some so soft Adora thought perhaps she imagined them, but that couldn’t possibly be the case because Catra made a point of kissing every visible inch of Adora’s skin, even kissing certain spots a second or third time. 

“I love you, too.” Adora would mumble back every time she heard Catra utter the words.

“I’m serious, I love you so fucking much.”

“Are you implying that I’m not serious?” Adora questioned her in mock offence. 

“No, I’m implying that I love you so much more.” Catra challenged, pressing a lingering kiss to the blonde’s lips.

“Oh, really?” Adora returned the kiss. 

“Really.” Another kiss.

“I don’t believe you.” A fourth kiss.

“Well, you have to.” Kiss. “Because it’s not up for debate.” Kiss. “It’s simply a fact of life.” Kiss.

“Hm. Well, ya can’t argue with facts.” Adora whispered, looping her hands around Catra’s neck and bringing her in for one final, albeit much longer, kiss.

~~~~~~~~~  
”Hey Adora.”  
“Hey Catra.”

“Can I ask you something?” Catra wondered, realization suddenly kicking in, she added, “If you respond by saying “you just did” I’ll break up with you, I’m not even kidding.” 

Adora laughed, sticking her tongue out up at her slightly irritated girlfriend. “Ask away.”

At some point, they had switched seating positions so that Catra was sitting up, with Adora lying down, resting her head on the brunette’s lap. Catra had been brushing her hand through Adora’s hair instinctively because she knew it always calmed the girl down. “Why do you dislike your gotcha day so much?” And at that, Adora stiffened and turned to lie on her side to avoid looking Catra in the eye. “I mean, I know it’s especially bad since…you know who…is gone, but…you never really liked celebrating or even talking about it, even when we were kids.” 

Catra wasn’t an idiot. She knows why. And even if she didn’t know for sure, her suspicions would’ve been confirmed when considering some of the things Adora said earlier on in their conversation. She just wanted Adora to say it. She wanted Adora to be open with her. She wanted Adora to trust her.

“I’m not big on celebrations.”

“Do you take me for an idiot?”

“I’m really not! I-“

“Adora, you planned all of my gotcha days! And all of Kyle, Lonnie, and Rogelio’s!” 

“Okay then I’m not big on celebrating myself.”

“Oh, please. Double Trouble told me all about the party at Elberon.”

“Ugh. They are such a snitch.” 

“Just talk to me.” Catra put her fingers to Adora’s chin, making her look up at her. 

Adora reached up, pushing Catra’s fringe out of her eyes, a small smile playing on her lips at the sound of Catra’s purr. “Something just…always felt weird about being at the horde. I never really questioned it, I mean, it was all I knew so I had nothing to compare it to, but there was always this lingering feeling that maybe I wasn’t supposed to be there. Sometimes I’d try to just push it away or ignore it, I’d put all my focus into training and working to become force captain instead. When you told me about the day Hordak first found me and gave me to…y’know, it kind of, I don’t know? Brought back memories? I don’t know how exactly, but it made me remember the day he first found me, the day I first came through the portal…I just…I saw everything in flashes and I brushed it off as nothing, but it definitely freaked me out and I decided that I wasn’t really into the whole gotcha day thing. Of course, now I know why I always felt so out of place but…” She shrugged, choosing to move on, “Besides, I came up with that as a way to cheer you up…You were a lot older than I was when I first joined the horde, and you were really scared and I wanted to help…God knows Shadow Weaver wouldn’t do anything to make you stop crying, except maybe put a silencing spell on you.” Catra noticed Adora saying the name but decided to let it go rather than mention it and accidentally trigger her, instead she opted to laugh along at her joke, though Adora’s laughing stopped fairly abruptly as she added, “Gotcha day was never supposed to be about me.”

Catra stared down at the girl, who was still deep in thought, fondly letting out another chuckle, “Adora, you’re such an idiot.”

Adora pulled herself out of her stupor, airily laughing along again, “What’d I do this time?”

“Some things are allowed to be about you.” 

Again, Catra’s words rang through Adora’s ears loud and clear, on repeat like a mantra. If she was being honest, she was a little shocked at how much Catra had grown since joining them at Bright Moon. In just a few months, Catra had emotionally matured in a way that really caught Adora off guard but simultaneously pleased her. Catra was unknowingly teaching Adora to care about herself more and put herself first more often…Or maybe she was doing it on purpose, Adora wasn’t sure, but she appreciated it either way.

The old Catra would have told Adora that she was Shadow Weavers favourite, that she never had to endure the same pain and punishment that was forced upon her, that she had it so much easier, that it was her fault Shadow Weaver hated Catra so much. The old Catra would have told Adora to get off her high horse, to stop making every little thing about herself, to stop trying to steal all the attention. And Adora found herself falling harder and harder for the person Catra was becoming, the person that understood that Adora never wanted to hurt her, never thought of herself as better than her, never wanted to make her feel lesser. And it’s not to say that Adora has not always loved Catra, or that it was Catra’s fault that she used to believe these things; Adora is well aware of how manipulative their caretaker was, well aware of how easily she could turn Catra and Adora against each other, and she would never put that blame entirely on Catra herself because she knows that deep down, Catra never really meant the hurtful things she had said to her. But she must admit, seeing Catra come into her own, learn who she truly is and who she truly wants to be, seeing her mature in such an open and welcoming way, it melted Adora’s heart, made her knees weak, had her swooning. 

She sat up, cupping each side of Catra’s face and pulling her into a deep, passionate kiss. One that all but took Catra’s breath away.

“What was that for?” Catra whispered in a daze, eyes still lingering on Adora’s pretty pink lips, as she pressed her fingers to her own lips longingly. 

“I love you, okay?” Adora couldn’t help the blush that rose to her cheeks at how loud Catra was purring, “More than anything.” 

“Okay.” Then, breathlessly, “Kiss me like that again.”

And she did. 

~~~~~~~~

“Hey, how long have we been up here?”

“No idea, I-“

“There you two are!” Glimmer exclaimed, suddenly teleporting behind them, “I’ve been looking everywhere!”

“Oh shit.” Catra’s eyes went wide, “The party.”

“Yeah, the party! The one I spent hours planning! The one you both ditched to, what? Sit here and make out?!”

Both their cheeks flushed and they looked to each other with frantic expressions, trying to come up with a cover up. Catra opted to instead get up and brush herself off before helping Adora up as well. “Geez, Sparkles, I’d think that if you were having a party you’d invite us…and on Adora’s Gotcha day no less? How rude.” And without a second glance, Catra took Adora’s hand and led her away from the pink haired girl, who looked like she was about to pop a fuse. 

“I’m starving, we should definitely go check for leftovers.”

“Agreed.” Adora raised their intertwined hands to her lips, pressing a kiss to Catra’s hand, “I’m so glad I gotcha.” 

Catra shook her head at the awful joke but couldn’t help the love struck grin forming on her face, “You’re such an idiot.”

**Author's Note:**

> I feel like I didn’t get the characters right and that bums me out a lot but i spent all day writing this so imma post it regardless lmfao oops
> 
> tumblr: danisdreaming
> 
> twitter: whatarecartoons


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